The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially added Fortnite as a well-known esports game title at the Olympic Esports Series, which will take place in 22–25 June in Singapore.
In March, IOC announced that they would be holding a major esports competition called the ‘Olympic Esports Series 2023’. But the organizers said that unlike other esports competitions, the focus will be largely on virtual versions of physical sports, such as shooting, sailing and tennis.
Social media users were perplexed by the competition’s categories and game titles as there are no popular esports games in the list, apart from Gran Turismo and Just Dance. Many took it to social media and mocked their decision to include obscure titles like Tennis Clash, Virtual Taekwondo, and Tic Tac Bow.
Eventually, IOC announced this week that Fortnite would be included as one of the official games for OES 2023. The competition, though, is unlikely to be played like the usual competitive Fortnite event.
According to IOC, Fortnite will be competed as virtual shooting competition in accordance with International Shooting Sport Federation regulations. The shooting competition in Fortnite will be played in casual shooting format instead of usual battle royale match. IOC said that the Fortnite competition will take place on “a special International Shooting Sport Federation Island” constructed specifically for the occasion in Fortnite.
“The competition will be an invitational event and involve 12 players from the Fortnite Champion Series” IOC said. “It will feature a special International Shooting Sport Federation Island created in Fortnite, which will be designed to reflect sport shooting competition. Players will be tested on their target aiming accuracy, just as sport shooters would in competition.”
The inclusion of Fortnite in this tournament is undoubtedly surprising, given that the game is widely known for its over-the-top shooting and comical building elements rather than realistic gameplay. However, the game’s lack of violence in comparison to other battle royale games like PUBG, Warzone or Apex Legends is likely to be a factor in the IOC’s decision to put it as an official title for shooting competition.
Fortnite will be the tenth official games for OES 2023. The official livestream from the IOC will subsequently be available on the official Olympics site.
